Last month I read Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith, which dives into the what, how, and why of your seven chakras. As a firm believer that you should always be learning, I wanted to understand the practice of chakras to see if incorporating the meditations into my life would be a good fit. Maybe I won’t ever fully open all seven or reach Kundalini, but I do firmly believe that the basic principles or focuses of the chakras are something everyone can learn from, think about, or even incorporate into their lives. Here is the simple breakdown:

Chakra 1 (Root) – proper grounding, finding your stability, the basis of survival, knowing your points of safety but not always living stagnantly

Chakra 2 (Navel/Sacral) – the vulnerability of true emotions, empathy, nurturing

Chakra 3 (Solar Plexus) – power (when to hold the reins or let go), realizing the time for a change

Chakra 4 (Heart) – centering, the balance of body and mind, releasing of negative or blocking energies

Chakra 5 (Throat) – communication spoken or unspoken (meditative), steady practices for promoting change such as mantras, being present

Chakra 6 (Third Eye) – intuition, clarity, separating what is and what isn’t, can or can’t be

Chakra 7 (Crown) – consciousness, enlightenment, connection to the universe or higher powers

Makes sense right? Clearer headspace, focused approach, recognizing your strengths and weaknesses, letting go, having control, and being balanced. To me, the chakras help you to mentally step back to see your life from the bigger picture so that you physically move forward in an all-around better state. Meditation is not easy and it can take years to get to a place of enlightenment. As Anodea teaches, it is a journey. While the act of meditation may not be your cup of tea, I encourage you to at least explore these basic principles. Pick a week, start Monday with chakra one, and see where your mind takes you. What will you learn about yourself?

Written by Eva Gerrits

Source: Wheels of Life, by Anodea Judith, PH.D.